Cycle Mode 2013: Gios and a Basso

 

 

 

 

Cycle Mode 2013: More Bits and Pieces

 

The Brooks booth, with the new Cambium natural rubber saddle, and a Moots sporting the seat and Brooks bar tape.  

 

 

 

Cycle Mode 2013: Montante Cycles of Sicily

 

 

 

The Limited Edition "Maserati"

Cycle Mode 2013: More Bits, More Pieces

To Single, Dingle, Twingle, or...?

Single Speed owners who want gearing options that don't require a derailleur may choose to "dingle" (or is it "twingle"?).

Dingling involves riding two rear wheels, necessitating a front fork wide enough to accomodate the second rear- the Salsa Fargo V2 fork, for instance.

Then there's the Shimano Alfine internally- geared hub, available as an 8 or 11-speed, thumb-shifter and cable the only requirements. The Alfine's a bit hefty, weighing in at over 1.6 kg for the 8 (1.7 for the 11), but aren't 8 (or 11) gears better than 1, particularly in an event such as the Tour Divide, with its significant elevation changes, long, flat stretches, and so on?

Such a question naturally elicits nearly as many views as there are riders. See here, too, for Tour Divide finisher Cjell Money's views on the relative merits of singling and dingling (though not Alfingling). His blog is all over the course, so the relevant sections may be a little hard to locate, but a peruse of the whole post provides no little entertainment. 

Of course, the above modifications come at the cost of simplicityand weight and produce a machine that ceases to be single-speed.

At present I am disposed to leaving the dingling and Alfingling to others. 

Shumatsu Cycling, Vol. 1

Mountains of the Echigo Range seen in the distance.

Sheaves of rice drying.

Persimmon ripening.  Remember when golf driver heads were made from the wood?  I'm no botanist, but I believe the yellow flowers are goldenrod.

 

A taiko drummaker's workshop. 

Shumatsu Cycling, Vol. 1

My son's baseball team lost its game against the Shibata school, a disappointing but not wholly surprising result, as the opponents attend a school that has represented Niigata  prefecture at the national baseball championships a total of 7 times and are at present managed by an intimidating individual in whom the samurai spirit, or bushido, is very much alive.

The defeat failed to dampen my spirits for long, however, for there awaited me a glorious afternoon of cycling, forming the second chapter of shumatsu cycling.

Some curious sights were in store on the way out of town:

this,

and this.

???

From Shibata I cycled in the direction of Murasugi, a spa village that will be the destination of a bike shop ride planned for Nov. 2,  to do a bit of recce into eating establishments in the area. The route hugs the base of mountains 800 meters at their highest, the terrain presenting no climbs unmanageable on a 32x13 set-up.

Murasugi has been a hot spring destination for over 1200 years.  The village council might want to consider replacing the welcome sign.

Chouseikan-. the exterior view doesn't do it justice. See here for stunning photos taken inside.

Refreshing spring water to refill the Platypus.

Cryptomeria (Japanese cedar) line the entrance to Kansuiro Spa.